Zoo News Digest 20th - 27th May 2012 (Zoo News 817)
Dear Colleague,
Delighted to learn of the capture of the escaped Penguin. After 82 days on the run it appears to have been having a relatively good time. Better back in the zoo though and I am sure it will be happier with its own kind and a sure source of food. No doubt the zoo will now have surge of visitors to see the re-captured bird. They say "every dog has its day"...well this is the penguins day. 'The return of the Penguin'. Recaptured animals are always a draw for visitors, especially if they remain in the press. I know of one zoo that used to use this as a tool to draw in visitors. Animals 'escaped' with relative frequency, a wolf and a sealion amongst others. The recapture caused a big spike in attendance. The thing is the animals never escaped at all. They were simply boxed and hidden away for a week. A few phone calls of sightings was all it took for other people to 'see' it too and the press to get excited. This all was more than 35 years ago. I thought it was very wrong then and I still do today. To this day I am sceptical of any reported escape. This Penguin though....no I am sure that was a real runaway.
Gay Penguins in the news again. Will these stories never go away?
Surabaya Zoo getting flak once again. This time from the Independent. New news? No way just another rehash of the trash that is being put out by corrupt big business.
The Truth About Surabaya Zoo
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/The-Truth-About-Surabaya-Zoo
So the Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wildlife Park have a couple of White Tiger Cubs. If anything is set to irk me it is statements such as "A new goal for the park is to start a breeding programme with the white Bengals." What??? Which then convinces me that the cubs were deliberately pulled for hand rearing. How on earth did they know the mother did not have enough milk? Worried about the male? Have they never heard of a cubbing den?
Hand Rearing Lion Cubs and Other Carnivores
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/Hand-Rearing-Big-Cats-and-Other-Carnivores
White Tiger Breeding is Not Conservation
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/hub/White-Tiger-Breeding-is-Not-Conservation
The 'Sanctuary or Scamtuary?' story makes an interesting read. It is not one that I particularily agree with. I am not in favour of any Sanctuary that does not take part in official breeding programmes. Besides to me Good, Officially Accredited Zoos are the Real Sanctuaries. The others all have alternative agendas, some of which I am very much against.
Is It A Zoo?
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/Is-it-a-Zoo
"Unlike the other three, Monroe’s zoo is not accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, but LaFleur said, “It’s a goal that they have in mind. Their philosophy is pointed in the right direction.” " I like that... Their philosophy is pointed in the right direction. There are some out there who need to think about that... the right direction, not one which allows indiscriminate breeding of hybrids, deliberate hand rearing and so on. Yes USA the American Zoo and Aquarium Association is the way to go.
****
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This blog has readers from 153+ countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eire, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lapland, Lao, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Wales, Yemen, Zambia.
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Japan's escaped penguin recaptured after 82 days on the run
Penguin 337 returns to Tokyo Sea Life Park after zookeepers were told it was on a river bank in the city
First, there was a daring breakout up a sheer rock wall and through a barbed wire fence. Then there were weeks on the run, in which the fugitive eluded capture and at times appeared to taunt his pursuers with carefree frolics in the sea. But now, Japan's most-wanted escapee is back behind bars.
More than two months after it slipped out of an aquarium in Tokyo, Japan's fugitive penguin is back in captivity following its capture in the capital on Thursday night.
Two keepers picked up the Humboldt penguin after receiving reports that it had been seen swimming in a river earlier the same day day. The capture ended 82 days of freedom, during which it briefly achieved celebrity status around the world.
The keepers, who seized the penguin after it ventured on to the riverbank, said the animal did not appear to have been harmed and had been eating enough to keep its weight stable.
Officials at the sea park had feared that the animal – known simply as Penguin 337 – would struggle to survive outside the aquarium's confines. But their fears proved unfounded after it was filmed swimming in Tokyo Bay, apparently content in its unfamiliar
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/25/japan-escaped-penguin-recaptured-run?newsfeed=true
Madrid Zoo’s ‘Gay’ Penguins Given Egg of Their OwnA “gay” penguin couple in a Madrid zoo has been given an egg of their own to care for after six springs of building nests together and being disappointed their nests were empty.
Inca and Rayas, the Gentoo penguins at Madrid’s Faunia Park have been inseparable for six years, according to the U.K.’s Telegraph. This year, the zoo gave them an egg to take care of.
“We wanted them to have something to stay together for — so we got an egg,” zookeeper Yolanda Martin told the Telegraph. “Otherwise
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/05/madrid-zoos-gay-penguins-given-egg-of-their-own/
Denver Zoo employee bitten by rabid batA wild bat that bit a Denver Zoo employee Sunday has tested positive for rabies, and the state health department wants patrons to come forward if they had any contact with a bat while visiting the zoo.
Parents who took their children to the zoo Sunday also should ask whether their child had contact with a bat.
Anyone who touched a bat should contact their local health department or call the state health department at 303-692-2700.
"People can be exposed to rabies when they assist, feed or handle wild animals," said state veterinarian Elisabeth Lawaczeck. "While some people visiting the zoo were in the vicinity of the bat, it is not known whether anyone other than the zoo employee had contact with the bat."
The Denver Zoo said it vaccinates its animals for rabies, and officials do not have any concern that animals have been infected. The bat was not part of a zoo exhibit.
"We will maintain our diligence but want to ensure our community protects themselves and their pets," wrote Tiffany Barnhart, spokeswoman
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20695479/denver-zoo-employee-bitten-by-rabid-bat
'Zooisiana' provides Monroe's zoo statewide exposure
What started as a meager collection of local wildlife at Forsythe Park eventually became a collection of lions, a tiger, a hippo, giraffes, ostriches and baboons at Monroe’s Bernstein Park.
Monroe’s Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo will be one of four zoos featured on “Zooisiana,” a Louisiana Public Broadcasting program that will air at
7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on June 6 and again at 5:30 p.m. June 10. The program is produced by Donna LaFleur and filmed by Rex Q. Fortenberry.
LaFleur said the program’s intent is to introduce different concepts of modern zoo-keeping, that is, the purpose that zoos serve aside from education and entertainment
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20120526/NEWS01/120526005/-Zooisiana-provides-Monroe-s-zoo-statewide-exposure?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Zoo faces another legal woe USDA files complaint, seeks to revoke license
Legal troubles for the owners of the Collins Zoo aren't over yet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed a complaint before the secretary of agriculture, seeking numerous fines and the revocation of the zoo's USDA exhibitor license.
But, after battling government agencies for nearly 25 years over animal confiscations, hundreds of alleged violations and a civil lawsuit, zoo owners Gus and Betty White aren't ready to give up yet.
"That's what's wrong with America now," Betty White said. "People don't stand up for what they
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120527/NEWS01/205270344/Zoo-faces-another-legal-woe-USDA-files-complaint-seeks-revoke-license?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
Mamata sets up state zoo authority
The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to refurbish all zoos in the state and bring them under one umbrella - the state zoo authority. Chief secretary Samar Ghosh is the chairman - he has asked all zoos to submit masterplans so that renovation can be started soon. Under the apex body, uniform rules and guidelines have been formulated for all state zoos.
Forest secretary Subesh Das told TOI, "By bringing the zoo under the state zoo authority, there will be smooth functioning in the zoological gardens." The government has also set up a technical committee under the authority. The committee, headed by the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) has been empowered to decide on the medical treatment requirement of the zoo inmates, their diet and if and
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-23/kolkata/31827430_1_alipore-zoological-gardens-zoo-authority-tigers-and-lions
Tourism Malaysia promotes country using Frankfurt zoo
As a rare gesture, Tourism Malaysia's Frankfurt office has been allowed to profile Malaysia's wildlife and nature at the reputed Frankfurt International Zoo which has a combined population of 18 orang utans.
The strategy of arousing public interest in Malaysia's wildlife, using the zoo as a vehicle for promotion of tourism, has been lauded by tourism promotion experts here.
Indeed, there is tremendous public interest in the orang utan, which cand help further enhance the level of interest and, thus, also boost tourism traffic to Malaysia. The pitch will be made to children who, accompanied by their parents, are a common sight at the zoo, particularly on weekends.
Tourism Malaysia will make a presentation today, enticing children, helped by their parents, to participate in a quiz game called "Discover Malaysia and its Fascinating Nature," said Syed Yahya Syed Othman, the director of the Frankfurt office of Tourism Malaysia in an interview with Bernama.
The quiz will include questions about Malaysia's wildlife and its natural environment; the questions will be posed to
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/tourism-malaysia-promotes-country-using-frankfurt-zoo-1.88176
White tiger cubs get all touchy-feely at zooWHAT are white, have stripes and blue eyes? The two white Bengal tiger cubs born recently at a private zoo north of the city.
The two male cubs, Spirit and Zeus, and their orange-coloured Bengal brother, Apollo, were born almost two weeks ago and are the newest attraction at the Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wildlife Park outside Pretoria.
“People love to interact with them (the cubs) and the cubs like the touch,” said the park’s marketer, Ilse van Aardt. The cubs made their first public appearance on Friday when visitors could play with them and take photographs.
The cubs are the second set of white tigers born in the park. These tiger cubs are not albinos, as true albino tigers do not have stripes. Two orange tigers carrying the recessive mutant gene for white colouration can produce white offspring.
Their mother, Tiffany, and father, Alex, are both orange-coloured Bengal tigers.
The cubs were taken from their parents because their mother does not have enough milk to feed all three brothers and the father is a threat to the cubs’ safety.
“He (will) eat them,” said Maria Manganye, the primary caregiver and “new mother” of the cubs.
Manganye, who has been working at the park for 17 years, takes care of the cubs and feeds them each a bottle of milk every three hours.
“They irritate (you sometimes),” she said amid loud wails from the cubs.
The cubs drink a special milk for cats, but in three months their diet will change to meat, preferably chicken.
A new goal for the park is to start a breeding programme with the white Bengals.
“Bengals are almost extinct and they breed easier in captivity,” said van Aardt.
She said the cubs were perfectly healthy.
But with so many males around, they first have to find a new bloodline and a few female tigers before they can start breeding.
Apart from the white tigers, the park also has white lions, cheetahs and ocelots.
http://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/white-tiger-cubs-get-all-touchy-feely-at-zoo-1.1301342
Oryx 'must be saved by setting up wildlife reserve'
A vast international wildlife reserve must be set up in the Rub' Al Khali desert to secure the future of the Arabian oryx, says one wildlife expert.
The oryx is a type of antelope that once roamed across the Arabian Peninsula but became extinct in the wild in 1972, largely due to over-hunting. The animal's distinctive white coat stands out in the desert, and this made it easy prey for hunters following the introduction of 4x4s and automatic weapons. The species was saved by captive breeding programmes in the UAE and elsewhere.
The idea put forward by Dr Reza Khan, Dubai Municipality's wildlife and zoo specialist, is for a sanctuary that would stretch across the Empty Quarter to include UAE, Saudi and Omani territory, allowing
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/oryx-must-be-saved-by-setting-up-wildlife-reserve
Animals left for dead in Indonesian zoos Neglected, cramped, and now fatally ill-kept – the animals in these zoos are dying. Where are they? Indonesia, a nation famous for its wildlife and wilderness. Kathy Marks reports from Jakarta
In a remote corner of Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo, a Malayan sun bear is pacing back and forth, shaking its head in an agitated manner. There is no shade or shelter in the tiny, dilapidated enclosure – just a stagnant pond full of rubbish. The bear, which is riddled with mange, rears up against a concrete wall and howls.
It's a scene that is not uncommon in Indonesia, where zoos have come under scrutiny following the death of a giraffe in Surabaya, East Java – later found to have a 40-pound wad of plastic in its stomach. In a country known for its rich biodiversity, many rare and threatened native creatures – such as the honey-eating sun bear – are kept in squalid and cramped conditions that appal animal welfare experts.
Conservationists, who have been lobbying for standards to be raised, were horrified by a recent announcement that Indonesia and China plan to exchange emblematic animals as a mark of friendship. The former will receive some endangered pandas, the latter some rare Komodo dragons.
At Surabaya, dubbed the "zoo of death" by The Jakarta Post newspaper, more than 700 animals died prematurely – mainly from disease and malnutrition – between 2008 and mid-2010. While the mortality rate has decreased since Tony Sumampouw, secretary of the Indonesian Zoo and Aquarium Association, was drafted in, Surabaya – where the giraffe swallowed plastic packaging thrown into its enclosure –remains chronically overcrowded.
According to Mr Sumampouw, enclosures have not been updated for 50 years. "We have 167 pelicans in a 40-metre by 20-metre cage, so they can't even open their wings," he says. "We have more than 20 lions and tigers, and most of them never see the sunlight, they never enjoy the fresh air, they never exercise." One rare white tiger, a gift from the Indian government, has been outside so rarely that, as a result of back problems, it can barely stand up.
Across the country – particularly in zoos owned and run by municipal governments – listless and unhealthy animals are kept in ageing pens,
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/animals-left-for-dead-in-indonesian-zoos-7771373.html
QuestionnaireHow and when can alternative livelihood projects be most effective in improving the sustainability of bushmeat hunting in Africa?
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2a648714f89bd919aa28ee022&id=81e9eae55a&e=0cd39c2a1b
Sanctuary or Scamtuary?You have probably received fundraising appeals from animal “sanctuaries” claiming that they have just rescued a starving tiger living in deplorable conditions in the basement of someone’s home. The appeal urges you to pledge money to help pay for the rehabilitation of this desperate tiger. By your simply contributing $25 or more, the sanctuary says it can provide the tiger with the proper care and treatment necessary to live out her life in comfort, and be able to rescue more animals in the future.
Your heart goes out to this poor tiger and your hand reaches for your checkbook. But wait…before you send your hard-earned money to save this animal you must ask whether you are contributing to a sanctuary that is actually helping to reduce the wild and exotic animal trade by rescuing animals and providing a true haven, or to a “sanctuary” that in fact facilitates the trade by breeding more animals and displaying rescued animals for profit.
There are “sanctuaries” out there that claim to help rescued animals. However, many also breed the animals or support breeding programs, exhibit the rescued animals for entertainment purposes, and/or support the keeping of exotic animals as “pets.” These facilities—also known as “scamtuaries” or pseudo-sanctuaries—play on people’s desire to help abused, abandoned, or neglected animals.
A True Sanctuary
A sanctuary is a nonprofit organization described in Section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code 1986, and its subsequent amendments, that operates a place of refuge where abused, neglected, unwanted, impounded, abandoned, orphaned, or displaced exotic animals are provided care for their lifetime or released back to their natural habitat. Before donating money, it is important to do a little investigating into the organization, keeping in mind the qualities of a true sanctuary:
• No commercial activity involving animals occurs (including, but not limited to, sale of animals, animal parts, by-products, offspring, or photographic opportunities; no public events for financial gain and/or profit);
• No propagation or breeding of animals occurs in the facility for financial purposes;
• No unescorted public visitation is allowed; no direct contact between the public and wild and exotic animals is allowed; animals are not to be taken from their enclosures or off sanctuary grounds for exhibition or education; and
• No activities are conducted that are in conflict with the animals’ inherent nature.
If you find yourself deciding whether or not to make a donation to a sanctuary, do some research on the Internet and call to determine whether it: (1) breeds its animals for profit, (2) supports private possession of exotic animals, (3) sells its animals to other facilities, (4) provides lifetime care for the animals (i.e., Do its animal residents live out the remainder of their lives at the sanctuary or do some or all of them get transferred or sold to other facilities?), or (5) allows for photographic opportunities or public events for financial profit, or uses the animals in any other type of entertainment activity that is not inherent to the animal’s nature (i.e. forcing an animal to perform tricks, jump through a hoop, etc). If the “sanctuary” answers yes to any of these questions, you should consider finding a different facility that does not profit from or support the wild and exotic animal trade as the recipient of your money.
In addition, before you donate, ask the facility to send you information, such as an annual report or evaluations that have been conducted by any of the nationally recognized charity watchdog services. These “watchdog” organizations’ purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions. Their independent evaluations assure the public that a nonprofit organization, such as a sanctuary, is properly governed, that its program is consistent with its statement of purpose, that its funding is sound, and that the bulk of its annual expenses is Don’t be fooled by a sanctuary’s claim that it is a be returned to the wild. However, since they are being bred in mass numbers in the U.S. and are kept as pets, exhibited to the public, and housed in facilities that do not properly care for them, there is a desperate need for true sanctuaries that are able to provide lifetime care for these animals. The problem lies in the definition of the term “sanctuary.” Be mindful of the differences between actual rescue organizations and “scamtuaries,” and be sure only to support genuine sanctuaries.
Nicole Paquette, Esq. is the Director of Legal and Government Affairs for the Animal Protection Institute.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080320212046/http://www.satyamag.com/nov04/paquette.html
Kenya: A Contrarian ViewAfrica's wildlife is being loved to death. Kenya's much-praised ban on hunting, in fact, has had an impact opposite to its intent: wild animals are disappearing at an accelerating rate. "Charismatic megafauna" -- elephants, lions, rhinos, the larger antelopes -- are in a true death spiral.
When Kenya's hunting ban was passed in 1977 in response to the "Ivory Wars" that were ravaging the nation's elephants, it was hailed as a new and progressive paradigm for wildlife management. With the hunting pressure off, animal lovers opined, the game would bounce back. And it's true that elephants did recover modestly over the ensuring two decades.
But now the slaughter has begun anew, driven by an unrelenting demand from a prosperous Asia for ivory objets d'art. Meanwhile, everything else is going down the tubes, including carnivores and antelopes. By best estimates, Kenya's wildlife has declined by more than 70 percent over the past 20 years.
What happened? While the ban played well in the developed world, it was catastrophic for the people who lived in the rural hinterlands of Kenya -- the places where wildlife actually exists. Basically, folks out in the bush had the responsibility for maintaining wildlife on their lands, but they were deprived of any benefit from the animals. Such a situation is intolerable for subsistence pastoralists and farmers.
Subsequent to the ban, they could not respond -- legally -- when an elephant raided their maize and stomped their goats, or when a lion killed a cow. But laws made in Nairobi are seldom if ever applied with rigor in the Kenyan bush. Even as animal rights groups lionized Kenya's no-kill policy and urged its adoption across Africa, the killing has continued unabated. Carnivores are poisoned, antelope snared, elephants speared and shot: Crops can thus be raised and the livestock grazed in peace.
Michael Norton-Griffiths, who has served as the senior ecologist for Tanzania's Serengeti National Park and the manager of the Eastern Sahel Program for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, likened the situation to owning a goat.
Assume, says Norton-Griffiths, that you're a poor pastoralist in
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glen-martin/kenya-a-contrarian-view_b_1542148.html
Problems for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
A small, sandy-colored lizard you've probably never seen before could cost the schoolchildren of Texas hundreds of millions of dollars if the Federal government pushes forward with its plan to list it as endangered.
In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the sand dune lizard as an endangered species. No mention is made in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal on the potential impact to Texas school children if the sand dune lizard is listed as endangered.
The proposed listing was prompted after environmental groups - such as New Mexico-based WildEarth Guardians - filed lawsuits against the federal government.
The sand dune lizard is about as big as your hand, with bright yellow eyes, a blunt-nose and a rounded head. Beneath its wide mouth, it has a faint yellow under-lip.
Formally known as the dunes sagebrush lizard, the sand dune lizard is a habitat specialist who can only live under the shade of the shrub-like shinnery oak that grow in isolated areas of southeast New Mexico and West Texas. A particularly picky lizard, it can only nest in dunes with medium-sized grains of sand.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the sand dune lizard separated from its cousin, the sagebrush lizard, about 15,000 years ago. The split occurred during the Pleistocene era when the area became warmer and dryer, creating the shinnery oak sand dune habitat the lizard depends on to survive.
This same habitat is also home to the hottest oil patch in Texas, the state that produces the most domestic oil and gas in the nation. Roads and oil well pads cut through the shinnery oak dune habitat, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The booming growth of oil and gas production in the sand dune lizard's limited habitat earns hundreds of millions of dollars for public education in Texas. Both the Permanent School Fund, which helps pay for the state's share of public education, a
http://www.glo.texas.gov/glo_news/hot_topics/articles/dunes-sagebrush-lizard.html
Researchers film rare striped rabbit in Sumatra (w/ Video)With cameras set up in Sumatra looking for medium- and small-sized wild cats, such as leopards, a research group involving the University of Delaware's Kyle McCarthy, found images of something else entirely -- a rabbit. Not just any ordinary rabbit, but a Sumatran striped rabbit, one of the world's rarest species and one that had been captured on film only three times before.
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-rare-striped-rabbit-sumatra-video.html
'Khus' mats being placed in cages to make zoo inmates coolWith mercury crossing the 43 degrees mark, the Kanpur zoo authorities have made arrangements to keep inmates cool. The zoo has over 1,100 animals.
The zoo officials have taken steps like changing the water in the enclosure of hippopotamus, placing of green nets that reduce the sunrays that fall inside the enclosures and putting 'khus' mats to save the inmates.
Green nets have been placed in the enclosure of monkeys and sarus birds. Exhaust fans have been placed in the enclosure of tigers. The zoo authorities are in the process of placing the nets in the enclosure of leopards. They are in the process of changing the damaged water pipelines. The supply of water to the enclosures would also become better. The inmates are being given cucumber to keep them cool.
"The green nets would be placed over the cages of lion and tiger to ward o
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Khus-mats-being-placed-in-cages-to-make-zoo-inmates-cool/articleshow/13506167.cms
A virtual Al Ain Zoo Twitter tour through the eyes of vet MajidIn an hour round of tweets a key vet of Al Ain Zoo took the hot seat to answer all kinds of questions from twitter users yesterday in what was called the first tweet up of this zoo.
Between 6 to 7 pm, the Emirati Majid Al Qassimi dedicated his social media attention to answer questions about the newborn baby Rhino, the summer heat and about keeping exotic animals as a pet.
Tweeters were updated on the latest animal news, such as the addition of two new Kori Bustards, which he told is the heaviest bird capable of flying, and the development of the baby rhino, which is now getting used to living in a group.
A tweeter under the name @Skaikha IM asked: "Why don't u have an elephant at the zoo?" to which he answered: "Since our last elephant passed away, we are waiting for the new development to finish before looking into this."
The summer heat was a topic of concern for some tweeters. One tweeter under the name @Lailaabuladeeb asked how Al Ain Zoo was planning to attract the public in summer, to which Majid explained that the zoo would only be opened from 4 to 10 pm.
He further explained that all animals have air-conditioned cages, however some animals are more adapt of the heat than others. This is one of the reasons that there
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/a-virtual-al-ain-zoo-twitter-tour-through-the-eyes-of-vet-majid-2012-05-25-1.460173
Welcome to the Zoofari 2012 Auction! - Knoxville Zoo
https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?auctionId=168027511
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